Vending-machine



No. 751,276. PATENTED FEB. 2, 1904.

w. FORSYTHE.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11. 1903.

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No. 751.276. PATENTED PEB. 2,;1904.,

- W.FORS YTHE.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED- APR. 11, 1903.

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W.FORSYTHE.

VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APRRIILIQOB.

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' firm g I h W ATTORNE vs.-

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Patented. February 2, 19.04.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM FORSYTHE, OF TAMA, IOWA.

VENDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 751,276, dated February 2, 1904.

Applicatien filed April 11,1903.

.To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM FoRsYTHn, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Tama, in the county of Tama and State of ing normally and securely locked and adapted when released bythe deposit of a coin to be easily operated by an exposed part so as to discharge a pencil or its equivalent.

A further object that I have in view is a novel form of releasing mechanism which can only be actuated by the deposit of a coin or slug of the proper weight and size.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the course of the subjoined description, and the novelty will be defined by the annexed claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional elevation through a vending-machine constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the parts in their normal locked positions, the

plane of the section being indicated by the dotted line 1 1 of Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a view line 33 of Fig. 1.

similar to Fig. 1, showing the parts in the position theyassume when the carrier is operated to deliver one of the articles therefrom. Fig. 3 is a vertical section at right angles to Figs. 1 and 2, taken in the plane of the dotted Fig. 1 is an enlarged sectional elevation through-a part of the coin-actuated releasing mechanism, and Fig. 5 is a transverse section in the plane of the dotted line 5 5 of Fig. 4:.

A indicates a casing of any suitable style. Said casing is provided in its front with an 'Serial No. 152,121. (No model.)

article-delivery slot oropening a. and in one side of the caslng 1s a co1n-rece1vmg slot (0.

The casing is, furthermore, provided with a vertical slot (0 in the front wall thereof and above the article-delivery slot (0, the last-named slot being arranged in ayhorizontal position across the lower front part of the casing.

The merchandise to be vended by the machine is contained or stored in a magazine or hopper, (indicated at B in the drawings) said hopper being suitably providedin the upper part. oft the casing A, and'access to this hopper is obtained by a'hinged door or cover 6 The hopper-or ma'gazineis' provided in its bottom with an exit opening or slot 6, and the bottom walls of said hopper are inclined, so as to converge toward this opening 6, thus allowing the articles contained in the hopper to move by gravity toward the opening and a vertical article-carrier C. This article-carrier is shown in the form of an elongated tube or chute' the width of which is equal to the length ofthe articles, such as pencils, which it is desired to dispense from the machine. The thickness of the carrier tube or chute slightly exceeds the diameter of the articles, and this carrier tube'or chute may be of any suitable length, so as to contain a number of the articles, as represented' by Figs. 1 and 2. The carrier tube or chute is' disposed in a vertical position below the hopper or magazine, and this tube is movable with relation to said hopper and to a stationary plate or platform D, the latter being secured in any appropriate way in the lower part of the casingA. The carrier-chute C may be mounted within the ma'chinecasing in any appropriate way; but, as shown by Figs. 1 and 2, this chute is pivoted or hinged at its upper corner, as at 0, the'hinged connection being provided at the point where the carrier-chute joins with the bottom of the magazine. The carrier chute is held nor mally in a vertical position between the magazine Band the platform D by means of a suitable retractor. herein shown as embodied in a coiled spring E, one end ofsaid spring being fastened in a suitable way to the casing, while the other end thereof is attached to the opposite side of the carrier-chute from its hinged connection 0 with the magazine. The carrierchute is held by the spring and a coin-released locking mechanism to be hereinafter described, so that its upper end will register with the opening Z) in the hopper B, thus permitting the articles to pass from the hopper into the carrier-chute. To prevent the articles from lodging or clogging in the magazine, I provide an agitator which is embodied in the form of a plate or web F, the same being fastened to the upper corner of the carrier-chute on the opposite side from the hinge c. This agitator extends upwardly from the carrier-chute, and it is movable therewith, said agitator passing freely through a slot 7), which is provided in the bottomof the magazine, said agitator being also projected into the magazine, so as to engage with the articles contained therein.

The plate or platform D is arranged a suitable distance above the bottom of the casing, and from this platform extends a deliverychute G, the same being shown as attached to the front edge of the platform and inclined downwardly and forwardly therefrom, so as to pass through the delivery-slot a, the lower free edge of this delivery-chute being curved in an upward direction, as at g.

The hinged carrier-tube G is provided on its rear side with a jaw H, the same being fixed in any suitable way to said chute at the lower portion thereof and directly above the stationary platform or plate D. This jaw extends rearwardly from the carrier-chute, and the upper face thereof is recessed to form a lockingshoulder 72. at a point intermediate of the jaw, said upper face of the jaw being inclined or beveled at it in a downward and rearward direction. With this jaw on the movable carrierchute cooperates a locking member I, the same being arranged in a horizontal position in rear of the carrier-chute and fulcrumed at a point intermediate of its length by a pin or bolt ito an upstanding bracket 1, which is fixed to the plate or platform D. The front end of this lover I is reduced to form a finger having a beak j disposed in overhanging relation to the jaw H and adapted to engage with the shoulder or ledge 76 of said jaw, whereby the lever may have interlocking engagement with the jaw H for the purpose of preventing the carrier-chute from swinging or turning on its pivot c. The opposite or rear end of the lock ing-lever I is provided with a coin-holder J, which is shown by Figs. 3 and L in the form of a cup having a flared upper end, which provides for the easy passage of a coin into the same. This cup-shaped coin-holder may be made in one piece with the locking member or fastened thereto in a suitable Way, and said coin-holder is open at its upper and lower ends.

A coin is adapted to be deposited in the slot (0 of the casing A, and with this slot communicates an inclined coin-tube K, said tube extube K is enlarged to form an angular mouth k, which is flanged, as at in, and is adapted to be secured in a suitable way to the casing. This offset or angular mouth of the coin-tube is fastened to the casing in a way to make the slot a communicate directly therewith, and this construction brings the passage of the coin-tube K out of alinement directly with the coin-slot (4, thus preventing the introduction of a wire or other instrument into the casing in a way to operate the locking-lever I for the purpose of releasing the same from engagement with the carrier-chute C.

A coin or slug deposited in the holder J on the locking-lever I is prevented from falling or dropping through the coin-holder in the normal position of the parts by a cut-off or valve L, the same being shown by Figs. 1, 2, and 4 in the form ofa plate which is slidably confined in a guideor loopZ on the under side of the lever. This cut-off L is pivoted at m to the rear end of a link or pitman M, the latter being arranged in a horizontal position below the lever I and having its forward end pivoted at m to the locking-jaw H. In the normal position of the movable carrier-chute C and its jaw H the link M holds the cut-off plate L part way across the lower open end of the coin-holder J, (see Fig. 4,) thus preventing the coin from passing through said holder; but when the carrier-chute and the jaw are moved in a forward direction and to the position represented by Fig. 2 the jaw pulls on the link M and the latter moves the cut-off L forwardly, thus withdrawing the cut-off from the path of the coin and allowing the latter to drop from the holder J onto the platform D or into a suitable receptacle. (Not shown.)

The lever I of the coin-actuated locking device is normally depressed by the inertia of a counterpoise N, which is adapted to be clamped adjustably on an arm 12., attached to a part of the lever I, said counterpoise being held in a predetermined position on said arm by a binding-screw 71/. The counterpoise is of suflicient weight to depress the beak-formed end of the lever I against the weight of the coinholder J; but when a coin of proper weight and denomination is deposited in this coinholder it overcomes the inertia of the weight and tilts the lever to the inclined position shown by Fig. 2, thus withdrawing the beak y" from engagement with the shoulder 71. of the jaw H and releasing the carrier-chute C from the restraint of the locking-lever.

The means for actuating the carrier-chute will now be described, the same being shown more clearly by Figs. 1 and 2. A horizontal rail O is secured in a suitable way within the lower part of the casing about on a level with the plate D and in front of the carrier-chute 'chute is a lug g, on which is pivoted at q a latch Q. This latch is provided at its free end with a lip 1 and said latch is pressed in a downward direction by a spring B, so that the lip 7* will engage with the shoulder p of. the leverhead P. The lever P has a depending finger s, which is engaged by a pressure-spring S, the latter being confined on the stationary rail 0, said spring serving to normally hold the lever P in a raised position and the shoulder T, which is shown by Figs. '1 and 2 as being fixed to the rail 0 in a position .to lie in the path of the carrier-chute on the forward movement thereof. This valve-plate is adapted to enter the carrier-chute when the same is drawn in a forward direction by the action of the le- Ver P, whereby the valve-plate enters the carrier-chute at a point above the lowermost article which is to be delivered and arrests the descent of the remaining articles contained in said chute. It is evident that the-valve-plate may be adjusted in such relation to the carrierchute as to deliver more than one article; but this position of'the valve-plate may be readily changed by a skilled mechanic.

The operation of the apparatus may be described, briefly, as follows: Assuming that the apparatus is loaded or charged and that the parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 1, the

- purchaser drops a coin of the proper size,

weight, and denomination in the slot 5/, which coin passes through the tube K and drops into the holder J, so as to engage with the cut-off L. The weight of the coin in said holder overcomes the counterpoise, and the lever I is tilted to the position shown by Fig. 2, thus releasing its beak from the jaw. The operator now depresses the lever P, which turns on the axis 19 and causes the shoulder 22 to act against the lip a of the latch Q, thus drawing the carrier-chute C in a forward direction chute and prevents more than one article from dropping therefrom; ;:The depression of the lever P turns the head P to a position wherein the cam-surface will ride against thelatch Q, thus lifting the latch Q for the lip r to lie out ofthe path of the shoulder 9, whereby the lever may be operated the full distance to move the carrier-chute C to a position clear beyond the edge of the plate D. When the lever P is released, the spring S returns itto the normal raised position, and the latch Q is adapted to yield to the movement of the shoulder p, thus again engagingthe latch with the lever-head, when the parts are restored to normal. The disengagement of the latch Q from the lever-head allows the spring E to return the carrier-chuteC to avertical position over the plate D, and the jaw H is thus again engaged with the beak j of the lever I, whereby thecarrier-chute is locked in its vertical position. i The restoration of the carrier-chute .to its normal position withdraws the valveplate T from said chuteand allows the articles contained in said chute to drop therein for the lowermost article to rest upon the plate D, thus placing the machine in condition for renewed operation.

Although I have shown and described themachine as adapted for vending pencils, it will be understood that the machine by properly changing the sizes and proportions of some of its parts may be used for vending different kinds of merchandise.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A vending-machine having a magazine, a carrier tube or chute in communication with said magazine, a locking mechanism fornormally holding said carrier tube or chute from movement, means for closing said chute in the normal locked position thereof, and means for positively moving said carrier-tube or chute when free from the restraint of said locking mechanism, said tube or chute being movable. relative to the magazine and the closing means therefor. 4

2. A vending-machine having a magazine a carrier tube or chute hinged to and depending from said magazine, a locking mechanism for said carrier tube or chute, means for closing the lower portion ofsaid chute in the normal locked position thereof, means for oper' ating said carrier-tube, and means for returning said carrier-tube to normal position, said chute being movable by the operating means relative to the closing means for opening an article-delivery passage throughthe chute.

3. A vending-machine having a magazine, a carrier tube or chute-hinged thereto, an agi-v tator device controllable bysaid carrier tube or chute and operable in said magazine, a locking mechanism for said tube or chute, and manually-operable meansfor moving the chute on the release of the locking'mechanism.

4:. A vending machine having a magazine provided in its bottom with a slot, a movable carrier tube or chute normally communicating with said magazine, an agitator-plate movable With said carrier tube or chute and projecting through the slot in said *magazine, a locking mechanism for said tube or chute, and manually-operable means for moving the chute on the release of the locking mechanism.

5. Avending-machinehavingamovablecarrier-tube, a locking mechanism therefor, an operating-lever, and a latch carried by said carrier-tube and arranged for interlocking engagement With said lever.

6. A vending-machine having a movable carrier tube or chute, a locking mechanism therefor, a spring-actuated latch mounted on said carrier-chute, and a lever having a shouldered cam-shaped head in operative relation to said latch.

7. In a vending-machine, the combination With a magazine, of a movable chute, an operating-lever therefor, and a latch carried by the chute, said latch and lever having mutual interlocking relation in the normal position of the chute and adapted to be separated on the movement of the chute to its delivery position. A 8. In a vending-machine, the combination with a magazine, of a movable chute, an operating-lever therefor, and a yieldable latch carried by the chute and normally interlocking with the lever, said latch and the lever being separable on the movement of the chute to its delivery position and the latch being yieldable to the return of the lever to its normal position. 4

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this SI)GCifiCLtiOl1,iIi the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, April 6, 1903.

WILLIAM FORSYTHE. Witnesses:

J. A. ROACH, G. T. STRITE. 

